Section 2. Processing of
Proposals
31-2-1. SERVICE AREA
OFFICE REVIEW
a. The service
center office responsible for the launch's
geographical area must process waiver
requests for amateur rocket activities. When
a proposal overlaps service area
geographical jurisdictions, the affected
service area office must coordinate to
determine which office will serve as
the lead service area office for processing
the proposal. Coordination between service
area offices is also required when the
affected geographical area and the ATC
controlling agency are under the
jurisdiction of different service area
offices.
b. Service area
offices must coordinate with the responsible
military representative and ensure that
all affected ATC facilities review the
proposal and provide input to the
aeronautical review, as required.
c. If the proposal
requires FAA Headquarters review, submit to
AJV-11 the documentation of service area
office coordination, affected ATC facility
comments, and any other information
pertinent to the case.
d. As part of the
rocket operation review process performed by
the service area office, or those facilities
delegated waiver authority, coordination
must be effected with the Central Altitude
Reservation Function (CARF), an element of
the David J. Hurley Air Traffic Control
System Command Center (ATCSCC). This
coordination is to ensure that any system
impact(s) that may result from the requested
operation are identified and resolved before
a waiver is issued.
31-2-2. AERONAUTICAL
REVIEW
The following information
should be used as a guide for the conduct of
an aeronautical review of amateur rocket
operations.
a. An aeronautical
review of any amateur rocket operation must
be conducted to determine if there are
aeronautical impacts to be considered or
resolved.
b. Amateur rocket
operations must be categorized based on
their operational characteristics and
purpose of flight. These characteristics
include, but are not limited to, size, total
weight, propulsion, rocket motor design, and
hardware design materials. The class of the
rocket will determine which parts of 14 CFR
part 101 provisions will apply. It is the
responsibility of the sponsor of the rocket
activity to determine the appropriate rocket
class.
NOTE-
Part 101 rocket launch proposals that are a
part of a competition for prize money will
be reviewed by AST. Those proposals must be
sent to AJV-11 for processing.
31-2-3. HEADQUARTERS
REVIEW OF WAIVER REQUESTS TO 14 CFR PART 101
a. Proposals for
amateur rockets that are expected to reach
altitudes higher than 25,000 feet above
ground level, (conducted outside of
restricted airspace) must be forwarded to
AJV-11 for coordination with AST.
b. The submission
to AJV-11 should include the following (as
applicable):
1. A brief
overview of the proposal. The service area
office should only forward those requests
for which they intend to grant waivers.
2. A summary of
any amendments made to the original proposal
in response to negotiations to mitigate
impacts, etc.
3. A sectional
aeronautical chart depicting the final
boundaries of the proposed airspace area.
4. A copy of the
proponent's launch request correspondence
and proposal package.
5. A copy of the
aeronautical review and the service area
office recommendation.
6. Copies of
pertinent correspondence from other FAA
offices (e.g., Flight Standards, Airports,
adjacent service area office, affected ATC
facilities).
7. Any other
information that is relevant to the proposed
operation, such as rocket/launch-vehicle
propulsion, physical dimensions and weight,
total impulse and burn time of the motor(s),
launch site location, planned flight
path/trajectory, including staging and
impact locations.
NOTE-
Part 101 contains a list of required
information for those operations that
require a waiver.
c. AJV-11 will
coordinate the proposal with AST-200 for
review.
d. Upon completion
of the AST-200 review, AJV-11 will forward
the results to the service area office. For
the proposals that have received
favorable recommendations the service area
office may issue the waiver to part 101 to
the sponsor of the rocket activity and
provide a copy to AJV-11.
31-2-4. CONTROLLING
AGENCY
The FAA ATC facility
having control jurisdiction over the
airspace where the rocket/launch-vehicle is
projected to enter must be designated as the
controlling agency. The controlling agency
will be responsible for ensuring that any
temporary airspace (e.g., TFRs, ALTRVs) is
activated when the launch operations are
imminent, including any applicable downrange
and terminal airspace.
31-2-5. AIRSPACE
CONSIDERATION FOR LAUNCH OPERATIONS
Proponents conducting
Class 2 or Class 3 amateur rocket launches
must provide advance notice to the FAA in
accordance with 14 CFR section 101.27. Those
proponents must ensure the safety
of persons and property on the ground and of
aircraft flying nearby. Conversely, rockets
that will enter controlled airspace must be
integrated with other users of the NAS and
be segregated from nonparticipating aircraft
to ensure safety.
a. Amateur rockets
may not require sterile airspace. In these
cases, the proponent and/or the service area
office must:
1. Ensure that the
activity is confined within the launch site
area.
2. Ensure that
adequate safety precautions are in place for
each launch site. Specific precautionary
measures established to protect
nonparticipating aircraft, persons, and
property will depend on various factors such
as the type of activity, terrain, launch
site dimensions, etc.
3. Cease activity
immediately upon observation or notification
that a nonparticipating aircraft
is approaching the area. Surveillance by
ground observers must be continuously
maintained immediately prior to and during
the time that the activity is in progress to
ensure adequate coverage of the required
area. If required by the service area
office, observers must have real-time
communication capability (radio, cellular
phones, etc.) with the FAA facility to
ensure a cease-fire can occur immediately.
The activity may resume only after
the nonparticipating aircraft are clear of
the area and will not interfere with launch
operations.
b. Existing
restricted area airspace may be used only if
permission has been granted by the using
agency or controlling agency, as
appropriate. The responsibility is on the
proponent to obtain the required permission.
c. Temporary
flight restrictions (TFR) for space flight
operations (SFO) as described in Section
91.143 may be used to segregate
nonparticipating aircraft from rocket/space
launch operations.
d. An altitude
reservation (ALTRV) may be used but only to
sterilize Class A airspace within which
it operates. ALTRVs do not sterilize
airspace below Class A airspace.
e. When sterile
airspace is used to support
rocket/launch-vehicle operations, the
dimensions and times of use of that airspace
must be the minimum required to contain the
proposed activities, including required
safety zones. When it is determined that the
airspace is no longer required, the service
area office, using agency, or the
appropriate military authority providing the
airspace must initiate action to release
that airspace to the NAS.
f. Launch sites
should be located in areas that
will minimize the impact on nonparticipating
aircraft and ATC operations. To the extent
practical, plan launch sites, and
rocket/launch-vehicle trajectories to avoid
airways/jet routes, major terminal areas,
and known high-volume VFR routes.
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